Shortly after that, with Kenny's assistance, Joan formed the backing group "The Blackhearts" with three obscure New York area musicians: Gary Ryan on bass, Eric Ambel (replaced shortly thereafter by Rick Byrd) on guitar and Lee Crystal on drums. After almost a year of touring, Joan's first album with The Blackhearts, entitled I Love Rock'N'Roll came out in December of 1981. The album included a version of "Little Drummer Boy" on the pre-Christmas editions. The album's impact on the music scene was immediate with the LP reaching the Top Five, while the single "I Love Rock'n'Roll" hit the very top of the Billboard's Charts on March 20, 1982 and stayed #1 for 7 weeks. Joan Jett had come back from nowhere.
A string of Top 40 hits followed, as well as sellout tours with The Police, Queen, and Aerosmith, among others. Jett was the second American act of any kind to perform behind the Iron Curtain, the first one being Blood, Sweat & Tears in Romania in 1969. She was among the first English-speaking rock acts to appear in Panama and the Dominican Republic.
Forced label changes in the 80's led to a decline in popularity. Despite the follow-up albums "Album" and "Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth" being praised by her devout fans, neither got the attention or radio play the first two albums received.
After receiving her own MTV New Year's Eve special, Jett beat out a number of contenders to appear in the movie Light of Day with Michael J. Fox. It was about this time that Ryan and Crystal left the Blackhearts. They were soon replaced by the powerful rhythm section of Thommy Price and Kasim Sulton. Later that year, Jett released "Good Music", which featured appearances by The Beach Boys, The Sugarhill Gang and singer Darlene Love. The album only spawned two minor singles which received little airplay. This label decided the band had to either take in outside help or they would lose their contract.
And so they did. Her next release, Up Your Alley, went multi-platinum and was followed by "The Hit List", which was an international hit. Popular songwriter/producer Desmond Child was brought in, resulting in the release of album "Up Your Alley". This album brought the band a resurgence in popularity, with top 10 singles "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Little Liar".
This return to the spotlight would be short-lived, however. Follow-up album "The Hit List", an all-cover songs release, spawned only a minor hit with Jett's version of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds".
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts became the first rock band to perform a series of shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, breaking the record at the time for the fastest ticket sell-out ever.
1991 and 1994 had two more releases, "Notorious" and "Pure & Simple". But radio had started looking to grunge by this time, and neither album got the attention they deserved.
In the 1990s, Jett and Laguna released "Flashback", a compilation of her career so far on their own Blackheart Records. Her next release, "Notorious" (which featured The Replacements' Paul Westerberg) was the last with Sony/CBS as Jett switched to Warner Brothers.
In 1994, the Blackhearts released the well received Pure and Simple, which featured tracks written with Kat Bjelland (Babes in Toyland), Donita Sparks (L7) and Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill).
While a slew of hits packages, some with an occasional new or previously unreleased track were released following this, it would be 10 years before a new studio album would appear.
This would be 2004's "Naked", and thus far has been a Japan-only release. The album sees Jett returning to a more raw and experimental sound, closer to that of her first 4 releases than the polished material that began with "Good Music".
Failing to get "Naked" released in other markets, Jett released on a more international level "Sinner" in June 2006, on Blackheart Records, her own label.. This album featured many remixed tracks from "Naked", and a complete rewrite of "Stuck in the Middle" to new version "Riddles". Lead-off single and video was a cover of "A.C.D.C." by Sweet.
To support the album, the band appeared on the 2006 Warped Tour, and embarked on a Fall 2006 tour with Eagles of Death Metal.
After a long break from recording, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released a 6-song EP of new material, "Mindsets," in June 2023.
Wynnewood
Change the World
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It ain't yours
But I'm here
I ain't goin' anywhere
It ain't his
It ain't hers
It's for all
It's time we stop all the hatin'
Let's start today
Go find a way
To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world
Well do ya care
Bout what's fair?
It don't matter
As long as you get your share
Now I see
Disparity
What needs to be
Hell it isn't charity
It's time we stop all the fightin'
Let's start today
Go find a way
To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world
I dare ya are ya scared?
I dare ya are ya scared?
It's time we stop all the hatin'
Let's start today
Go find a way
To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world
To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world
The lyrics of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' song Change The World revolve around a universal truth that the world does not belong to any one person or group, it belongs to everyone. The song encapsulates the sentiment that it is our collective responsibility to work towards making a positive impact on the world rather than simply seeking personal benefits. Jett's powerful and raw vocals together with the lyrics challenge listeners to look beyond themselves and their personal interests, and instead focus on the greater good.
The opening line "It ain't mine, It ain't yours, But I'm here, I ain't goin' anywhere" is particularly striking. This line sets the tone for the rest of the song, highlighting the existence of a greater force that connects all human beings. Throughout the song, Jett urges listeners to stop fighting and start working towards solving the world's problems together. The chorus of the song is especially impactful, with Jett forcefully stating "To change the World, Gotta change the world, Go change the world, Gotta change the world."
Overall, Change The World serves as a call to action, urging listeners to reconsider their role in the world and to take steps to create a positive impact. The song highlights the need for collective action and the importance of working towards a common goal. Jett's powerful message continues to resonate with audiences today, and the song remains a favorite among fans of rock and roll.
Line by Line Meaning
It ain't mine
This situation does not belong to me.
It ain't yours
This situation does not belong to you.
But I'm here
However, I am present and willing to take action.
I ain't goin' anywhere
I am not leaving this situation behind.
It ain't his
This situation does not belong to him.
It ain't hers
This situation does not belong to her.
It's for all
This situation affects everyone.
Is that somethin' we can learn
Can we learn from this and work together to make a positive change?
Well do ya care
Do you care about what's happening?
Bout what's fair?
Do you care about justice and fairness?
It don't matter
It doesn't matter what you care about individually.
As long as you get your share
As long as you benefit personally, that's all that matters to you.
Now I see
I understand.
Disparity
There is a significant and unjust difference between groups of people.
What needs to be
We need to take action to fix this problem.
Hell it isn't charity
This isn't about being generous, it's about doing what's right.
I dare ya are ya scared?
I am daring you to take action. Are you afraid to do so?
It's time we stop all the hatin'
We need to end our negative and divisive behavior.
Let's start today
We can begin this positive change now.
Go find a way
We need to put in the effort to make change happen.
To change the World
We need to transform our society for the better.
Gotta change the world
It is imperative that we all take action and work together to make a change.
Go change the world
We need to actively seek out ways to create this change.
Gotta change the world
We cannot afford to do nothing; we all must take responsibility and act now.
To change the World
We must commit ourselves to creating a better society for all.
Gotta change the world
This is not an option; this is a necessary task for all of us.
Go change the world
It is our responsibility to actively seek out ways to make change happen.
Gotta change the world
We all must take the initiative to make this world a better place.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BILL MICHAEL CIPRIAN, JOAN JETT, KENNETH BENJAMIN LAGUNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind